{"id":359,"date":"2022-10-26T10:36:05","date_gmt":"2022-10-26T09:36:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staff.nhslothian.scot\/staffsupport\/?page_id=359"},"modified":"2022-12-06T12:37:47","modified_gmt":"2022-12-06T12:37:47","slug":"advice-to-support-you-with-cost-of-living","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/staff.nhslothian.scot\/staffsupport\/advice-to-support-you-with-cost-of-living\/","title":{"rendered":"Advice to Support you with Cost of Living"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>\u200bPlease note:&nbsp;NHS Lothian does not actively&nbsp;endorse any particular organisation however you may find&nbsp;the information below helpful:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Many Trades Unions and discipline specific professional organisations provide both information as well as services on benefit entitlements,&nbsp;debt advice, financial services, credit unions and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Scottish Government Cost of Living Support<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>As well as the information below the Scottish Government have launched a new website that brings together in one place information on support, grants, benefits and advice, in order to help people find what support they may be entitled to. This includes advice on how to get support to help heat your home more efficiently and reduce heating bills, free services available which may help you increase your income, support with children&#8217;s school meals and much more. Visit&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/eur01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https:\/\/costofliving.campaign.gov.scot\/&amp;data=05%7c01%7cAllan.Benzies%40nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk%7cd475092c42894533b0cd08daa2d239bf%7c10efe0bda0304bca809cb5e6745e499a%7c0%7c0%7c638001321032502602%7cUnknown%7cTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7c3000%7c%7c%7c&amp;sdata=YSrFjcUcc48H7MEn0gXCqKOAQ8mVtPJdB7Ydv7C1UZQ%3D&amp;reserved=0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">gov.scot\/costoflivingsupport<\/a>&nbsp;for more information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Debt Advice<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you are struggling to manage debt this can impact on your mental health, physical health and relationships. As an NHS staff member, you can access free and confidential debt advice from&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dontfretaboutdebt.net\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Don&#8217;t Fret About Debt<\/a>&nbsp;(dontfretaboutdebt.net). You will receive expert advice from a qualified debt advisor in complete confidence. They will talk you through all your available options, explaining clearly how they work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/credit.org\/cccs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Consumer Credit Counseling Service<\/a>&nbsp;(CCCS)&nbsp;offers free advice and support for people who need help with managing their debts. For more information call&nbsp;&nbsp;0800 431 8157<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/capuk.org\/about-us\/our-work-across-the-uk\/our-work-in-scotland\">CAP<\/a>\u00a0(Christians Against Poverty)\u00a0provides help to get out of debt, find a job or gain vital life skills. The services of CAP services are open to people of all faiths and none.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Savings<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You could save money with the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nhscreditunion.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">NHS Credit Union<\/a>&nbsp;(nhscreditunion.com). The NHS Credit Union is a financial co-operative, owned and controlled by its members. You chose how much or how little you want to save. The NHS Credit Union offers a range of savings accounts, including options for children under 18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Energy Costs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), Citizens Advice, Energy UK and Ofgem have produced an&nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ofgem.gov.uk\/publications\/energy-domestic-consumer-advice-autumnwinter-2022\" target=\"_blank\">Energy Advice for Households guide<\/a>&nbsp;which is full of information on things like financial support, keeping your home warm and help with understanding your bills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Helping your money go further<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>NHS staff are eligible for a range of deals and discounts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>NHS Staff Benefits (<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/www.nhsstaffbenefits.co.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\">nhsstaffbenefits.co.uk<\/a>), Blue Light Card&nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/www.bluelightcard.co.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\">(bluelightcard.co.uk<\/a>) and Health Service Discounts (<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/healthservicediscounts.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/healthservicediscounts.com<\/a>) all offer discounts across a range of shops, services, restaurants and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Mortgages<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>As an NHS staff member, you can access impartial and independent mortgage advice from the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mortgageadviceclinic.co.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Mortgage Advice Clinic<\/a>&nbsp;(mortgageadviceclinic.co.uk) They can support you to find the most suitable mortgage products as well as offering advice on how to protect your mortgage should the unexpected happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Credit<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.moneyhelper.org.uk\/en\/everyday-money\/credit-and-purchases\/deciding-on-the-best-type-of-credit-for-you\" target=\"_blank\">Deciding on the best type of credit for you<\/a>.\u00a0When you\u2019re borrowing money, it\u2019s important to understand how much the different options cost and how they work. You also need to know how those costs vary depending on the amount you\u2019re borrowing and for how long.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-light-accent-grey-background-color has-background\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Beware of scammers who try to exploit the cost of living crisis!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Be wary of texts, emails or phone calls that come out of the blue. Never give out your personal details when\u00a0contacted out of the blue and always double check that they are legitimate by contacting the organisation they claim to be from. Councils will never call to ask for your bank details.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.moneysavingexpert.com\/news\/2022\/07\/dwp-cost-of-living-scam-texts-warning\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Money Saving Expert<\/a>\u00a0suggest how you\u00a0can protect yourself with this quick 3-step check:\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>If you are asked to pay an upfront fee, it could be a scam<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>If you are asked to pay quickly, it could be a scam<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>If you&#8217;re asked to pay in an unusual way, such as vouchers or money transfer, or asked for your bank details, it could be a scam.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8203;Please note:&nbsp;NHS Lothian does not actively&nbsp;endorse any particular organisation however you may find&nbsp;the information below helpful: Many Trades Unions and discipline specific professional organisations provide both information as well as<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-templates\/verticalmenu.php","meta":{"_searchwp_excluded":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"class_list":["post-359","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"rttpg_featured_image_url":null,"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"stephenharris","author_link":"https:\/\/staff.nhslothian.scot\/staffsupport\/author\/stephenharris\/"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":false,"rttpg_excerpt":"&#8203;Please note:&nbsp;NHS Lothian does not actively&nbsp;endorse any particular organisation however you may find&nbsp;the information below helpful: Many Trades Unions and discipline specific professional organisations provide both information as well as","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staff.nhslothian.scot\/staffsupport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/359","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staff.nhslothian.scot\/staffsupport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staff.nhslothian.scot\/staffsupport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staff.nhslothian.scot\/staffsupport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staff.nhslothian.scot\/staffsupport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=359"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/staff.nhslothian.scot\/staffsupport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/359\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":458,"href":"https:\/\/staff.nhslothian.scot\/staffsupport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/359\/revisions\/458"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staff.nhslothian.scot\/staffsupport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=359"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staff.nhslothian.scot\/staffsupport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=359"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}